September start for Australian domestic season

Australia's domestic season will start nearly a month earlier than usual this year, with the first Ryobi Cup match set for September 16 and the opening Sheffield Shield game to start two days later. The WACA and Sydney's Bankstown Oval will both host September fixtures after Cricket Australia sought ways to start the season early, in part to allow players plenty of games before the first Test of the summer, against South Africa beginning on November 9.

The season also faced a squeezed due to the Champions League Twenty20 being held in October instead of its usual September slot, with players from the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers unavailable for nearly three weeks. The problem has been alleviated somewhat by New South Wales and Western Australia being given a break from Shield and Ryobi Cup commitments during that period, although not all the Sixers and Scorchers players are from those two states.

Although the early start means September matches will clash with the AFL and NRL finals - there will be Shield cricket on both AFL and NRL grand final days - Cricket Australia has managed to avoid cutting down on the number of matches in the Shield or Ryobi Cup. The Sheffield Shield final will remain in place and will again be a five-day encounter that will be televised, and has been set down for March 22 to 26.

"Cricket Australia has this year moved to start the interstate season almost a month earlier than last year to provide players with the best preparation for the summer ahead," James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. "The first Vodafone Test in Brisbane is starting three weeks earlier than last season and we want to align our interstate programming accordingly to provide players with adequate opportunities to prepare for that series, as well as providing aspirants with plenty of opportunities.

"There are plenty of challenges with scheduling and we know it's never going to align perfectly for everyone, however we feel this schedule will give our players the best opportunities to prepare and push for international honours. I have no doubt there will be comment about starting the season while football codes are still in operation, but we want to give our cricketers the best opportunities to prepare for international cricket and balancing that with an opportunity for some to play on a global stage, such as at Champions League Twenty20."

ABOUT COOKIES

We use cookies to help make this website better, to improve our services and for advertising purposes. You can learn more about our use of cookies and change your browser settings in order to avoid cookies by clicking here. Otherwise, we'll assume you are OK to continue.